Ready for Action

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Behaviors that Enable Student Thinking

Make it Practical

Considering all the knowledge we have acquired this week, I would have to say the most powerful idea for me was to ensure that our action research is practical. As simple as this idea may seem, it is something that we must all consider when deciding upon our action research topic. Our efforts would be in vain if we were to conduct research that could not be applied to student learning. As Dr. Jenkins mentioned in this week's lecture, we need to be sure that we have a purpose and know what stakeholders will benefit from our research. For me, the answer must always involve students.

Blogging...

Blogging provides educational leaders the opportunity to collaborate with others. Through blogging, educational leaders can share their reflections and seek input at the same time. This collaboration can definitely help facilitate the inquiry process.

Administrative Inquiry in Action

“Simply stated, administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systemic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry. Inquiring professionals seek out change and reflect on their practice by posing questions or “wonderings,” collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others.” (Dana, 2009) Administrative inquiry makes sense to me. It provides hands-on learning in an effort to improve current practices while dealing with real situations and problems. Administrative inquiry makes learning meaningful and a reflective process. It also provides the opportunity for administrators to model that we must continuously seek to improve our practices. We are never through learning.

As I read Leading with Passion and Knowledge, I was thrilled. I know it sounds silly, but it so closely described what I am currently doing. As a Master Teacher, I am responsible for weekly, job-embedded professional development. This professional development must be data-driven and needs based. I must field test all new learning before I can present it to my teachers. The field-testing process that I utilize is quite similar to administrator inquiry; identifying a problem, analyzing data, researching, reflecting, improving practices and sharing with others. Therefore, I am sure that as I learn more, I will be able to utilize this process in my daily practices.

Works Cited

Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge the principal as an action researcher. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Corwin.